saturday

Saturday started at Yushima Tenmangu.

The shrine for scholars.

There were many ume (apricot) trees on the property as well as ume motif worked into the lighting and architecture.

Down the street from Yushima Tenmangu is Kyu-Iwasaki Teien.

Another huge property of the Iwasaki family (owners of Mitsubishi).

Apparently, the land that is left is only 1/3 of what they had before (and it is still very huge)!

Lunch was at Aun...shirunashi (no soup) tan tan men.

Choose your numbing (ma) and heat (la)..I went with 1 for both (you could actually go up to 6!)

This was just the perfect amount of heat for me.

Satoshi went with 3 and was perspiring profusely...

Down the street is Kanda Myojin.

It is apparently the oldest shrine in Tokyo built more than 1270 years ago and moved to the present location in 1603.

Many in the warrior class including the Tokugawa clan worshipped here.

Yushima Seido, a Confucian temple is nearby.

Kind of eery with all the black.

A few minutes away is Nicolai-do (Holy Resurrection Cathedral)

We got to hear the bells because they were performing a maintenance test on them.

And around the corner is Meiji University, where Satoshi went to school.

They've extended their campuses and increased the number of high-rise buildings from the time that Satoshi attended, so it was nice to reconnect with his school.

While Satoshi visited the Baseball Hall of Fame at Tokyo Dome, I walked around the shopping mall.

I also tried the "concrete" at Shake Shack for the first time.

The Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunchcrete had chocolate custard, chocolate bits and peanut butter toffee.

It wasn't "stiff" like concrete, but super rich and thick!

Another day of lots of walking and eating.

Yushima Tenmangu
3-30-1 Yushima
Bunkyo, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3836.0753

Kyu-Iwasaki Teien
1-3-45 Ikenohata
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3823.8340
Hours: 9:00-17:00

Szechuan Tan Tan Men Aun
3-25-11 Yushima
Bunkyo, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3834.6350
Closed Tuesdays
Hours: 11:00-14:00 (lunch), 17:30-21:45 (dinner)

Kanda Myojin
2-16-2 Sotokanda
Chiyoda, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3254.0753

Yushima Seido
1-4-25 Yushima
Bunkyo, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3251.4606
Hours: 9:30-17:00

Nikolai-do
4-1-3 Kanda Surugadai
Chiyoda, Tokyo

Shake Shack
Tokyo Dome location